Rapid growth in membership of public sector unions
Lack of progress in improving the social and economic working conditions of public sector employees is leading to increased unionisation in Lithuania’s public sector. Between February and April 2007, a number of new trade unions were established by various public sector bodies. This followed a decision by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania which was deemed unfavourable by civil servants in relation to their remuneration for work.
Economic context
While the Lithuanian economy is continuing to experience rapid growth, the labour force shortage has also resulted in a dramatic increase in average wages. In 2006 alone, the country’s gross average wage increased by almost 20%. Nonetheless, the wages of employees in the public sector – where collective bargaining does not exist at all, except in education and healthcare – have not been growing or have been increasing extremely slowly. Consequently, in light of the country’s labour force shortage, a growing number of employees are moving from the public sector to the private sector. Data from the Lithuanian Statistics Department (Lietuvos Statistikos Departamentas, STD) indicate that employment in the public sector fell by nearly eight percentage points in the period 2000–2006, from 34% in 2000 to 26.3% in 2006. According to the STD, in 2006, the highest proportions of job vacancies were found in the areas of public administration, defence and social security.
Court ruling on civil servants’ pay
Dissatisfied with the current system of pay, a group of civil servants applied to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucinis Teismas, KT), requesting it to analyse the prevailing remuneration procedure for civil servants. Many civil servants had anticipated that the KT’s decision would rule in their favour and result in a considerable increase in civil servants’ wages. However, the decision adopted by the KT in March 2007 proved, in fact, to be unfavourable for civil servants.
New public sector trade unions formed
This outcome has led to the establishment of new trade unions in the public sector between February and April 2007. On 10 February 2007, for example, public prosecutors founded a new trade union. Members of the new union include around 30 prosecutors, their assistants and other ordinary employees of the offices of public prosecutors. In a press release, the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation (Lietuvos profesinių sąjungų konfederacija, LPSK) stated that: ‘This trade union is expected to represent many prosecution officers in the future.’ The Lithuanian Office of the Attorney General employs about 1,500 employees in total – prosecutors, civil servants and employees operating under employment contracts.
On 27 February 2007, civil servants and employees of the STD registered their own trade union. The new union comprises 39 founding members who were present at the constituent assembly; the STD employs around 350 employees in total.
On 17 March 2007, the State Tax Inspectorate (Valstybinė mokesčių inspekcija, VMI) also founded a trade union. Some 34 employees were present at the constituent assembly, at which the statutes of the trade union were approved and its chairperson elected.
Sectoral LPSK organisations or their representatives partly contributed to the foundation of the aforementioned trade unions, mainly by consulting with the new-comer organisations. Nonetheless, all of the three trade unions have remained independent so far, not making any moves to join any of the large trade union confederations.
On 12 April 2007, a second trade union was established at the VMI. This trade union has since become a member of the sectoral LPSK affiliate the Trade Union of Public Servants (Valstybės tarnautojų profesinė sąjunga, VTPS). Some 44 VMI employees were present at the constituent assembly, at which the trade union’s statutes were approved and its chairperson elected.
Membership growth in existing unions
The recent establishment of new trade unions by public sector bodies is not the only sign of the increasing unionisation that is taking place in Lithuania’s public sector. Membership levels of old trade unions in the public sector have also grown in the first quarter of 2007, although the data are not yet confirmed. Moreover, signs of increased membership in public sector trade unions also emerged in 2006. For example, membership within the sectoral affiliates of the largest trade union confederation, the LPSK, increased from 1 January 2006 to 1 January 2007 as follows:
- a 40% membership increase in the Lithuanian Service Structure Trade Union (Lietuvos paslaugų sferos darbuotojų profesinė sąjunga, LPSDPS);
- an 8% increase in the Lithuanian Teachers’ Union (Lietuvos mokytojų profesinė sąjunga, LMPS);
- an 8% membership growth in the Lithuanian Trade Union of Constables and Police Workers (Vidaus reikalų sistemos respublikinė profesinė sąjunga, VRSPS);
- a 4% increase in the Lithuanian Trade Union of Healthcare Workers (Sveikatos apsaugos darbuotojų profesinė sąjunga, LSADPS).
Commentary
Without information on the membership levels of other major trade union confederations and independent trade union organisations for the abovementioned period, it is not possible at this stage to make overall conclusions.
Inga Blažienė, Institute of Labour and Social Research